Starting a business can be challenging, and the legal hurdles you need to cross make your life no easier. We’ll try and cover some of the legal bases involved in launching a small business, especially from an online/technology angle, so you can keep your focus on growing your company.
From filing your first trademark to taking down copyright offenders, our legal experts and our experienced community have your back.
Whether you’re a web designer/ developer yourself, or you run a business and have a web developer on staff, it’s important for you to have a contract that protects you and your company from fraud and liability. Liability protection, even for corporations, has many loopholes. For this reason discuss and provide web development contract resources for those interested.
As an entrepreneur, one of the first financial hurdles you hit is the cost of hiring a lawyer to set up your legal entity. This shouldn’t prevent you from being an entrepreneur! Can you avoid paying hundreds of dollars per hour and having to deal with lawyers’ busy schedules by simply using one of these online legal services? Our legal expert dives in to find out how legit these services are and closely examines the types of services they offer.
Printing, faxing and filing papers is time-consuming, expensive and wasteful. Why not use secure, legally binding electronic signature software? It takes far less time than printing, signing and either scanning or faxing your documents, saves money, and it’s even better for the environment.
You’ve come up with an amazing invention and now you need to make sure someone doesn’t steal your idea. What do you do? You file a patent. But how do you patent an idea? Technically you can’t patent the idea itself, but you can put the idea into action and patent your invention. Here is an overview of the steps in the patent process, so your invention stays safely in your hands.
Do you have invention ideas and think one might be the next hot breakthrough product? Of course, you want to protect your idea, develop it, and one day sell your invention. But where do you start? There are a ton of services at your fingertips, but as a burgeoning inventor, beware —invention and patent companies are extremely varied in what they offer you. It’s a confusing industry for sure, and there are a ton of blurred lines about what each company offers and delivers. That’s where we come in to help.
Do you own a small business but don’t have the financial means to defend yourself in the event you get sued? What if a customer gets injured tripping over a box in your boutique? Or if you spill coffee and destroy a client’s laptop? Claims can run into the thousands or tens of thousands of dollars, and most small businesses don’t have that kind of money set aside. A lot of the big insurance names, like Nationwide and Travelers, offer business insurance to companies of all sizes. But there’s a lesser-known insurance company, Hiscox Insurance, that specializes in small business insurance, particularly those in knowledge-based professions like consulting, IT and marketing. Read our Hiscox Insurance review to see if they’re a good fit for your business.
Can’t afford to hire an attorney for your personal or small business legal needs? When it comes to simple legal forms and filings, it can get unaffordably expensive to hire an attorney. Rocket Lawyer is one of the most popular online go-to legal providers. But do they offer what you need at a price that fits your budget? And how reliable are their services?
Starting a new business and trying to save time and money? Complying with legal requirements is certainly one of the most important aspects of owning your own business, but you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for expensive attorneys. More and more small businesses are turning to online legal services, like LegalZoom. Is LegalZoom legit? Can you really get your legal needs met online — and will they hold up in court?
Starting a limited liability company (LLC) is an exciting but nerve-wracking adventure. One of the most important items you’ll need to address is finalizing the legality of your new venture. Navigating the necessary documents and other confusing requirements can be a chore, but which is why it’s nice to be in the 21st century where the whole process can be done online.
An essential step to starting a business most entrepreneurs don’t immediately think about is legally establishing a business name. In addition to separating out your business income and expenses with a separate bank account, one of the first things you’ll want to do as a sole proprietor, assuming you aren’t ready or don’t have the funds to incorporate, is to form a DBA (Doing Business As). That way you can market yourself and receive checks in the name of your business, instead of your personal name.
If you’re considering launching a business, you need to think about trademarking your new company’s name. Obtaining a trademark is of particular importance when legally marketing your business’s services or products. The last thing you want is a lawsuit from a competitor or another company challenging your name. So, what’s involved with trademark registration? Do you need an attorney? And what does it cost? Our legal expert Sally helps answer all these questions and more and introduces you to some popular online trademark registration services, which can take the hassle off your hands and save you money at the same time.
Tired of shuffling paperwork and waiting for snail mail to get the signatures you need on important business documents? DocuSign is an industry-leading digital signature service that gives you the tools to send, sign and share documents online, anytime, and from any device. It’s fast, secure, and legally binding. But how does it work and is it the best electronic signature service on the market? Our review dives in to find out…
